Iran closes Al Arabiya's offices in Tehran

[tocqueville]

Source: Al Arabiya

DUBAI (Courtney C. Radsch)

Iranian authorities closed down Al Arabiya's Tehran bureau Sunday afternoon amid heightened tensions in the violent aftermath of a disputed election victory by incumbent Mahmoud Ahmedinijad over leading reformist rival Mir Hossein Mousavi.

Officials gave no explanation for the decision to shut the office for a week, effectively preventing broadcasting from the country amid riots and protests by reformists over what they allege was a fraudulent election and rival protests planned by supporters of Ahmedinijad.

Diaa al-Nasseri, Al Arabiya’s correspondent in Tehran, announced Iran’s decision live on-air and said he was asked by the Ministry of Information to change a report and then notified that the offices would be closed for a week.
.......

“Al Arabiya is worried about being banned from the change to cover an important country like Iran during an important event like the elections and afterwards without explaining the reason behind that decision,” said Nabil Khatib, executive news manager of Dubai-based Al Arabiya.

Read more: http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2009/06/14/75922.html

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so much for blasting the western media for "propaganda"...

[psychopomp]

1. Al-Arabiya flirting with terrorists - Tehran Times

Al-Arabiya flirting with terrorists
By Hassan Hanizadeh

The Dubai-based Al-Arabiya satellite television network, which is owned by a rich Arab prince from a Persian Gulf state, has recently established relations with Abdolmalek Rigi, the ringleader of the Jundullah terrorist group, and is trying to cast his criminal acts in a positive light.

The TV network, which was set up to counter the Al-Jazeera network, is currently implementing three major propaganda campaigns.

The first propaganda campaign of the Al-Arabiya network, which was established with a one-billion dollar investment, aims to give a favorable spin to the regional policies of Washington and Tel Aviv and to break the taboo against holding talks with the Zionist regime’s officials. Long live interviews with the Zionist prime minister, war minister, and foreign minister all provide evidence of this objective.

The second propaganda campaign aims to raise doubts about the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear activities. Through its biased news reports and analyses, Al-Arabiya is attempting to give citizens of regional countries the impression that Iran has a nuclear weapons program, which is the same strategy the Zionist media is following.

/snip

http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=171487

[rpannier]

2. the Tehran Times

The Fox News of Iran